LOS ANGELES — Thoughts and notes on the Los Angeles Sparks’ 77-69 win Sunday at home over the Minnesota Lynx, their second win over the defending champs in this young 2018 WNBA season with two regular season meetings still on the horizon:
Minnesota’s minutes
Tanisha Wright was not with the team Sunday, as she was attending an event celebrating her induction into the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Hall of Fame. Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson played seven and 17 minutes respectively, a season-low for each.
That opened the door for reserves Alexis Jones and Cecilia Zandalasini to play longer stretches. Zandalasini shot 1-for-4 to go with five rebounds and two assists. Maya Moore sliding up to the four spot for big chunks of the game paired with Wright’s absence created a need for more minutes on the wing.
Jones and Danielle Robinson each logged 24+ minutes. Robinson was perfect from the field (5-5), and the dual-PG look allows them to look to get the ball up the floor quickly to look for early opportunities to attack.
Jones told High Post Hoops postgame that she’s focused on becoming a better defender and pushing the pace as much as possible, whether she’s the only point guard on the floor or playing alongside Whalen or Robinson. Jones was aggressive in looking for her shot off the dribble — both from the midrange and beyond the arc.
Robinson injects a new element the minute she steps on the floor for the Lynx. Her speed allows her to put pressure on the defense even when an obvious running opportunity isn’t there right off the bat. Backup center Temi Fagbenle was plus-seven in 11 minutes off the bench. Sylvia Fowles picked up two early fouls and finished with five. The Lynx faithful have reason to be skeptical of at least two of those calls.
Sparks matching lineups
We didn’t see Essence Carson much at the four last season. Nagging groin and elbow injuries cost her some time in 2017. The Sparks stayed big most of the time anyways with two of Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike and Jantel Lavender on the court together.
Carson began this season there as the starter at the four, as Head coach Brian Agler’s hand was forced early this season with three of his bigs — Parker (back), Lavender (still overseas), Maria Vadeeva (upcoming visa appointment) — unavailable.
“It’s huge,” Beard, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, said on Carson being able to play more minutes alongside her with those nagging injuries firmly in the past. “As her teammate, I can say that I missed her out there. We can do a lot of different schemes with her out there on the court.”
Parker returned to the starting lineup Sunday (19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists in 28 minutes). Lavender made her season debut against the Lynx, but played just three minutes off the bench. The Sparks stayed small for the most part when Parker or Ogwumike rested. That allowed Alana Beard to stay on Moore, and Carson has the versatility to matchup with opposing wings or guards.
“She’s mentally and physically tough, so she’ll stay in plays with people,” Agler said about Carson postgame. “She gives us a chance to switch pick and rolls when she’s defending somebody that sets a screen on the ball.”
Carson has connected on five of her first 14 three-point attempts. Those very early returns are more on track with her 2016 (23-64, 35.9 percent) and 2012 (34.3 percent on a career-high 105 attempts) performances. Will we see the Sparks continue to lean on the Beard/Carson combination as the season wears on?
“We could,” Agler said. “I didn’t anticipate us going to it this much this year or today, but we ended up going to it because we got stagnant.”
It’s still early, but there’s a clear takeaway: The Sparks have yet another look to match what another team is doing or to force an opponent into difficulty by opening up the floor for their guards to attack the basket.
Big shot Beard
Beard scored five of her nine points in the final five minutes — a short jumper just outside the paint set up by Chelsea Gray and a shot from the left wing with 35 seconds left after an offensive rebound. Both shots poured some water on any hopes of a Lynx comeback.
Beard pointed out after the game that she’s the fifth option at times with this Sparks team. Naturally, she may find herself open when defenses send extra help towards Parker or Gray.
“I have to be prepared in any moment,” Beard said. “When you play with the group like we have, the game becomes very easy. You just have to be ready when that shot comes.”
Beard does have experience as more of a creator/top-three scoring option. She averaged 13+ points in each of her first six seasons in the league. Beard hasn’t been afraid to take the shots that come her way since arriving in Los Angeles in 2012, seen on the biggest stage in the 2016 Finals when she hit the game-winning three-pointer from the right corner.
This Sparks bunch has Ogwumike (the 2016 MVP), Parker (2016 Finals MVP), Gray (2017 All-WNBA selection) and fifth-year guard Odyssey Sims (16.8 points per game through five games in 2018) to shoulder the load to create on offense.
Now in year 13, Beard draws from a wealth of experience excelling in different roles. That experience would seem to put Beard in position help bring along Gray and Sims in particular as they continue to add to their game year by year.
Though that may be the case, Beard isn’t one to try to take all the credit.
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“It’s not just me. I think everyone has a part in empowering each other,” Beard said. “That’s how this team is. It’s special. A lot of people don’t really understand that.”